


Harmony

by TinderWulf



Series: Music Inpired [1]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-24
Packaged: 2017-11-12 18:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinderWulf/pseuds/TinderWulf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a Music Challenge over on the kink-meme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Songs and characters belong to their respective owners. I do not own anything.
> 
>  
> 
> This is the first time I have written for a music challenge. I don't think I did that well, but I thought I would post it anyway. I definitely enjoyed the challenge though. Please ignore any typos I may have missed!

[Lil Wayne - Mirror ft. Bruno Mars](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZLUa8JUR18)

 

Shepard stands in her new bathroom, naked, taking in her new scars. The scar across her abdomen gone. Old puckered bullet wounds gone. Instead she is covered in cracked, glowing wounds. Inhuman.

She feels empty. Broken. She looks into the reflections eyes desperately trying to recognize anything. To feel something. But there is nothing.

\--

His blue blood is smeared across her face. She watches herself cry, his blood running down her cheek with each tear that falls. She feels fear that he won't make it, and relief because she's not completely broken. 

When he walks into the briefing room, she feels a piece of herself fall into place. A piece she can see in herself.

\--

She wakes covered in cold sweat. 

All she sees this time is shame and guilt. She hadn't been fast enough to save that woman on Elysium. The Alliance calls her a hero but she doesn't feel like one. Shepard watched as the woman was cut down when she tried to run. Shepard knew it wasn't her fault, she _knew_ it. But that doesn't stop the dreams. She told the woman to stay down, the woman ran. 

_You can't change the past Shepard. It wasn't your fault. You can't control how people react._

She takes a deep breath giving herself one more look before wiping the last of her tears away. _It wasn't my fault._

\--

With each passing day, each new person she welcomed aboard, was another small piece of herself she found. 

Every snarky remark Joker threw at her, every chuckle she managed to pull from Thane, every sniping contest she had with Garrus. Samara helped her find meditation and Kasumi let her relax over trashy romance novels. Shepard and Tali had drone battles almost daily. Shepard tried to one-up Zaeed during chow, she took make-up advice from Miranda, and modding advice from Jacob. She sparred with Grunt and Jack...at the same time. She assisted Legion in trying to understand a dating sim and she helped EDI play a practical joke on Joker. She drank with Dr. Chakwas, then sang with Mordin. 

Each person unlocking another part of her that Shepard thought lost. 

\--

Shepard stands in her bathroom, naked, taking in her new scars. A small line across her ribs, a few bullet wounds in her shoulder, and a small cut on her lip that was nearly identical to the one from Elysium. She looks human. She _feels_ human. 

She feels full. Alive. She feels like Shepard.


	2. Chapter 2

[Everything Burns - James Durbin (Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPPDgkhZuck)

Elysium

That bastard. That fucking bastard. How could he? 

_"Shepard."_

_"Anderson. How much trouble am I in?" She doesn't bother to stand and salute. She doesn't care._

_"You are being moved to Elysium for the next three months."_

_"I made his testicle explode with my biotics and all I get is a slap on the wrist?"_

_"Your official story is that you returned from a high-stress mission to find your fiance in bed with another woman. The biotic surge erupted from the emotional shock. An accidental biotic release."_

_"It really was an accident."_

_"I know and for what it's worth, I'm sorry."_

_She nods, unable to speak. She had really loved that man._

\--

Elysium was beautiful, but Shepard felt nothing for it. She feels numb. 

\--

Shepard watches in horror and anger as slavers try to capture civilians. Then her squad leader is shot in both legs and unable to support himself. 

"Shepard, you're in charge. Just put me right here and give me a few weapons. I will guard the bunker. Radio for friendly incoming or you will be shot dead."

"Aye, Aye. You heard the man!"

Shepard rallies local law enforcement, mercs, and some trained civilians. She places them at checkpoints while she and her squad block off other routes. She orders tech experts to get the defense systems running again.

She turns a corner to see a batarian try to hold down a turian female and another shove his hand between the females legs. The turian female manages to knock one batarian back, Shepard shoots him in the head. When the other turns raising his gun, the turian female grabs the fallen batarians pistol and fires two shots into the remaining mans groin. The man screams in agony before she fires a round into his head making him topple. 

Shepard sends her squad to lead at the checkpoints, freeing armed law enforcement to escort civilians to bunkers, as soon as they block the last route. 

"Are you injured?"

The turian female rises, "No. If you would guard my back while I finish putting my armor on I would be grateful, human."

"Name's Shepard. Can you help hold a checkpoint?"

"Zara. Yes I can."

[Shepard! Checkpoint Delta is being hit hard. We need back-up now! Copy?]

"Shepard here, on my way." She turns to the now armored turian, "Looks like we're headed that way."

"I'm ready."

"All teams, report."

[Checkpoint Alpha is holding steady.]

[Checkpoint Beta is holding steady.]

[Checkpoint Zulu is holding steady.]

[Team Ghost closing in on objective.]

[Team Shadow is at objective. We are beginning activation.]

[Checkpoint Charlie is holding steady.]

[Shepard, Tree Houses are unable to cover Checkpoint Delta. Repeat, Delta has no eyes.]

"Tree House King, move teams to reinforce other checkpoints. I'm moving to Checkpoint Delta."

[Aye, Aye.]

"Well Zara...hope you're ready to fight."

"Turians are born ready."  
-

When Shepard arrives, the slavers are nearly upon them. Injured and dead allies lay around the makeshift concrete barriers, a few medics working to save any allies they can. 

"Medics! Move the ones you can into the building!" She calls out more orders adjusting and reinforcing the ally line. 

That's when she sees a civilian woman panic.

"No! Stay down!", Shepard calls out, but the woman doesn't hear through her fear. She runs to the left of Shepard, right into a line of enemy fire. Shepard is unable to throw up a barrier fast enough. The woman takes a round to her back and head, dying instantly. 

Shepard refocuses her barriers on the retreating medics and injured. 

[Shepard, Team Shadow objective complete. Your right and back flanks are covered.]

"Aye, aye Shadow. Stay put and make sure they stay ours. Try to disable their ships."

[Aye, Aye!]

 

\--------------

Shepard sees a batarian ground vehicle approaching. She knows it will rip them apart in seconds. The fear makes her angry then Shepard feels nothing but rage. She has had enough. Shepard let's the anger burn through her veins, smiling for the first time in months.

She quickly rigs an empty aircar with explosives.

"Make a hole in the line!" She uses her biotics to lift the car into the space made for her. The enemy vehicle is almost in range to open fire on them. She makes the car fly forward while her men distract the ground forces from her. Shepard smiles in glee when the car hits the batarian ground vehicle on the passenger side. They tried to get out of the way, but waited too long. She laughs when batarian ground forces flock to move the car off the truck...then she flips the switch on the detonator.

She closes her eyes as the shockwave passes over her. She always loved explosions.

"Mow'em down!", she orders, her smile still in place.  
\--

For the next four hours Shepard uses her biotics to hurl broken concrete pieces at ground forces. The grid's full defenses had been activated after the aircar explosion. A few of the batarian ships had managed to flee, but the defenses managed to disable a majority of them. This allowed for Shepard to send teams to kill enemies and free prisoners. 

[Shepard, Kara here. The last of the prisoners in my sector have been cleared. We found some batarian slaves and other prisoners on a few of the disabled ships. We have escorted them to a separate bunker. Over.]

"Shepard here. Well done. Make sure the slaves aren't strapped with bombs. Over."

[Aye, aye. Kara out.]

 

Shepard was exhausted. A medic stood behind her, using Shepard for cover, as he fed her energy bars while Shepard continued to hurl objects at the enemy. 

[Shepard, Tree House King. Ally reinforcements incoming. Patching it through.]

_[...miral Hackett of the Alliance Fifth Fleet, we are incoming. Watch your fire. I repeat, Alliance incoming. Watch your fire.]_

Shepard sighed in relief, "Admiral, this is Lt. Shepard, currently the highest ranking uninjured on the ground. We read you loud and clear."

Perhaps one more explosion in enemy territory will help light the way...


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So a little (by little I mean big) headcanon enters here: Benjamin Shepard is the parent (Daddy!Shep) and Joker is Sheps lil' bro, just goes by his mothers maiden name. (I had the Joker headcanon before ME3)

[Song #3: Taylor Swift - The Best Day](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4_6eQm7RTQ)

\--

"Hey, Baby."

Shepard turns in surprise, some coffee spilling on her boots. 

"Daddy!"

All noise in the mess hall ceased, although Shepard doesn't notice. Someone takes the cup from her hands while she stands dumbfounded.  
\--

They were celebrating the defeat of the reapers. Every crew member that served during any of the three suicide missions on board with their families. Those that survived anyway. Shepard had the months the Normandy spent missing to heal physically. Now only weakened muscle and scars remained, at least on the outside.

Emotionally...

She had held so much in over the years. She was fortunate enough to have Garrus to share her burdens with this last time, but she thought she had lost him too. So she did what she always did, she stayed strong for all of those that needed her to be their rock.  
\--

The moment she laid eyes on her father, years worth of tears began streaming down her cheeks. She collapsed into his arms, just as she did when she was a child. He brought them to their knees while she sobbed into his uniform. _He smells the same._ She sobbed like the first time she'd had her heart broken. Loud and gut wrenching. 

She held on to her father like her very essence depended on it. And maybe it did. 

"Make some room for your crippled brother."

Shepard chuckled through her sobs as Joker gingerly squeezed in to hug and be hugged. 

She didn't know how long she stayed like that. Long enough for her tears to run dry and her sobs turn into hiccups. 

"Dad."

"Yeah, Baby?"

"Joker is touching me."

"Am not! You touched me first!"

Laughter surrounded them. 

"You are both grounded from suicide missions for the rest of your lives."

"Oh, man! Come on!" , they both said in unison. "Yes, Sir."

\--

"Sometimes all you need is your father?"

Shepard looked up from Garrus' shoulder, "Yeah. I'm a daddy's girl." He brushed his forehead against her pulling her a little tighter to him. She kissed his mandible before returning to look over her family. Her father was currently showing off holos of his kids. She would be embarrassed later, but right now... Right now she was going to enjoy some well-earned peace.


End file.
